JAM Academy sees its first class of grads

The Mercy Coalition’s JAM Academy, a workforce development initiative, celebrated its first graduates from its 24-week Foundations curriculum in June. It marked a significant early milestone for the program, which will expand to include a leadership track this fall and 1-year paid internships in 2024.

“I hadn’t worked in a few years,” said Cynthia Mares, now a full-time Mercy Coalition employee. “The JAM Academy helped me rebuild my confidence in my skills and worth as a worker.”

The JAM in the Academy stands for “Jobs And Mentoring,” and the program is built around a unique set of philosophies that joins together job skills and life skills training. The Foundations track includes such topics as personal work ethic; punctuality and appearance; conflict management; systems thinking; strength-based work; and collaboration. Participants each worked on a personal vocational plan.